Assistant Vice President, Student Success and Dean of Students

Job description

Assistant Vice President, Student Success and Dean of Students
Rhode Island College

The Division of Student Success at Rhode Island College invites applications for the full-time position of Assistant Vice President, Student Success and Dean of Students, reporting to the Vice President of Student Success.

The individual will assist the Vice President for Student Success in the planning, administration, and leadership of the Division of Student Success, directing all staffing, educational, operational, facility, and budgetary aspects of the Office of Student Life. In addition, the AVP and Dean of Students will represent RIC in the daily life of students in an effort to promote understanding, cooperation, and the achievement of its five strategic pillars, ultimately cultivating a culture of student completion within the educational community.

The AVP and Dean of Students must be committed to building community, equity, diversity, and cultural competency for faculty, staff, and students and the regional community. Inclusive excellence is one of the five pillars of the Office of Student Life's new strategic plan, “Affirming our Strength and Building our Future,” along with learning innovation, student success, community partnerships, and institutional effectiveness.

The AVP and Dean of Students is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the student judicial system and collaborating with campus stakeholders to lead a robust and educative system of student conduct administration. The individual will serve as an advocate for students by informing them of their rights and responsibilities with respect to RIC's policies and procedures.

The AVP and Dean of Students will collaborate with faculty, students, and staff to support the vision and strategy for Student Life, leading to a co-curricular educational experience that complements Rhode Island College's curriculum. In addition, the individual will identify measurable outcomes to assess this educational experience's effectiveness in fostering deep learning.

Rhode Island College
Since its founding in 1854, Rhode Island College has been delivering a low-cost, high-quality education in innovative ways. As Rhode Island's first institution of public higher education, RIC has grown from its origins in teacher preparation to becoming a leading regional comprehensive college, with particular strengths in teacher preparation, social work, nursing, business, STEM, and liberal arts disciplines.

With the goal of preparing students to be engaged citizens, as well as meeting state and regional needs for today's workforce and tomorrow's leaders, RIC ensures that students have the support, skills, and opportunities necessary to learn and thrive. It offers an extraordinary collegiate experience with top-notch academic programs, active learning in the classroom, significant experiential learning opportunities beyond the classroom, and state-of-the-art facilities.

Nearly 90 majors and programs are offered through its five distinct academic schools: Arts and Sciences, Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, School of Business, School of Nursing, and School of Social Work. With an enrollment of approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the RIC student body is 68 percent female, 32 percent students of color, and approximately 50% first-generation college students.
Rhode Island College has 328 full-time faculty, 89 percent of whom hold terminal degrees in their specialization. With an average class size of 20 students and a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, RIC is a friendly, close-knit community that results in close mentorship and lifelong friendships.

Students have the opportunity to participate in research and internships to advance their learning and goals. Study-abroad and domestic study-away programs allow students to pursue their education in different institutions and settings for a semester, year, summer, or during the short January term.
One of RIC's key initiatives is to provide a high-quality student experience. It is investing more than $310 million in facility and infrastructure improvements over a five-year period.

Approximately 375 students participate in varsity sports. A member of the Little East Conference, the RIC Athletics programs are NCAA Division III with 12 varsity teams for women and 9 for men. The intercollegiate athletics program ranks in the top 30 percent nationwide.
Rhode Island College highly values candidates who are adept at communicating with and meeting the needs of today's diverse college communities. Successful candidates will possess the cultural competency and the emotional agility to respond to issues of diversity and inclusion while advancing the College's strategic pillar of Inclusive Excellence.

Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island College is based in the vibrant capital city of Providence. With a population of 175,000 people, it is an hour from Boston and three hours from New York City. Rhode Island has a population of approximately 1 million people and is rich in diversity, culture, and history. Providence has been ranked as one of the top “hippest cities” in the U.S. and has a growing and diverse high-tech economy.

Providence offers a wide variety of cultural, entertainment, and recreational venues. The RISD Museum of Art has more than 80,000 works of art, and the Roger Williams Park Zoo is considered one of the finest zoos in New England. Broadway shows and plays, festivals, over 700 restaurants, minor league Triple A baseball, and more than a hundred public and private beaches are only a sampling of what this great city and state offer residents and visitors.

Promote positive student relations and leadership opportunities by maintaining effective lines of communication and serving as a strong advocate for the non-academic, extra-curricular, and co-curricular needs of students.

Collaborate with academic leadership and faculty partners to create and sustain programs that enhance retention and graduation rates, student learning, and the quality of campus life.

Provide planning and coordination of services with directors of the Counseling Center and Health Services department and support student organizations focused on substance abuse programs.

Collaboratively lead the College Behavioral Engagement Team.

Develop and administer regular projects to assess student needs; design and implement programs to meet these needs as they emerge. Conduct and report on other research as appropriate.

Advance and promote the strategic pillar of Inclusive Excellence and support diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as student access to success and training resources.

Collaborate with Title IX Director to periodically update policies and procedures necessary to achieve compliance with Title IX and other federal, state, and local laws, including investigation procedures.

Support Title IX Director as needed with responses to Title IX complaints; ensure investigations comply with RIC's written procedures and Title IX requirements.

Edit the College Student Handbook annually and assist in the maintenance or development of other materials published for students.

Conduct an annual review of all student complaints and reports in order to identify and address any patterns or systemic problems that require attention

Provide coverage for the Vice President in his/her absence.

Represent the Division and/or Vice President on various committees/project teams and at various meetings and functions.

Provide follow-up assistance to the Vice President in matters pertaining to requests for information and report generation and analysis.

Oversee the division's comprehensive social media efforts, including monitoring industry best practices and trends.

Conduct fiscal planning and budget review.

Provide leadership and support for a diverse and comprehensive Fraternity and Sorority Life model on campus, and oversee hazing prevention and education efforts.

Lead and sustain a model to support student veterans and active-duty military students toward degree completion.

Work closely with the Vice President on division-wide fundraising and development programs.

Collaborate with the Administration and Finance Division to support coordination of capital planning and project management.

Perform on-call emergency coverage for the division, including evenings, weekends, and periods when classes are not in session.

Serve as a principal liaison with Campus Police and Public Safety agencies on all matters of student life safety.

Ensure divisional compliance with the institutional mission. Manage the achievement of division goals and coordinate assessment of student learning in co-curricular programs.

Provide leadership and management to ensure the properly coordinated delivery of essential student services by organizing the various units in a logical, non-duplicative, and effective manner to best meet the recruitment, retention, and graduation goals of the institution.

Encourage high morale and quality student service through a leadership style that encourages employees to strive for the achievement of annually established goals and objectives.

Occasional Job Functions
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Vice President for Student Success.

Required Qualifications and Standards

Education: Master's Degree in college student personnel, higher education, or an appropriate combination of education and experience.Experience: Five years of progressively responsible student affairs experience at a higher education institution and substantive leadership experience with student conduct, Title IX, Violence Against Women Act compliance, and supervisory leadership.

Skills, knowledge, and abilities:

Strong organizational and managerial skills

Working knowledge of student development theory and engagement practices

Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with other university leaders

Knowledge of administrative support areas, including fiscal and human resources management.

Documented evidence of success working with a diverse college student population and effective collaboration with academic affairs

Demonstrated abilities in fiscal planning and management, student development theory, and personnel management and assessment

Demonstrated collaborative, collegial management style and the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing

Demonstrated ability to organize, coordinate, and supervise support staff

Demonstrated ability to interpret institutional policies to staff and others and to prepare and present detailed studies and reports

Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills

Preferred Qualifications

Doctoral degree

Experience working in the following area: student conduct

Environmental Conditions
The employee is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

As an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution that values and is committed to inclusion and expanding the diversity of its faculty and staff, the College invites members of protected classes, including minorities and persons with disabilities, to identify themselves as such at the time of application.www.ric.edu